Under Pressure
by temafan
Summary: Cyclonis captures Piper for her knowledge of crystals, almost rivaling her own, but there's a hidden agenda to the tyrants actions. bad summary. R&R. On Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I got reminded about Storm Hawks the other day and decided to make a Piper/Master Cyclonis fanfic. Warning, I haven't seen the show in a while so the characters might be a OOC.

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"Piper…" Cyclonis smirked when Dark Ace brought the Storm Hawk to her inner chamber in a metal cage, carried by two Talons. "What do you wish to do with her, Master Cyclonis?" Dark Ace kneeled before his ruler. The young ruler looked up, thinking of something, before she returned her attention to the 'undefeated' switchblade rider, "leave her here and go, I will personally handle our little prisoner."

"Are you-" Dark Ace was interrupted by Piper's struggle to somehow push the bars far apart for her to get through. "Yes, now leave!" Cyclonis' harsh tone made the rider bow before quickly leaving Cyclinis' inner chamber with the two soldiers.

"You can't do this to me!" Piper narrowed her eyes when she heard the door behind her slam shut, "why did you capture me!?"

"Can't _friends_ spend time together? Or do you want me to try and send you to the realm of Oblivion again?" Cyclonis smirked when she saw the blood in Pipers face drain, "best friends forever, remember?"

"I would never be friends with you!" Piper tried to act tough, but knew she was powerless at the moment. "Now, now," Cyclonis started walking towards her prisoner's cage, "we _are_ friends, isn't that what my crystal conformed?" Piper was so focus on trying to not seem hurt by the ruler's chosen word to notice the person she hated had somehow opened the door to her cage. "You considered me as a friend, not the other way around," Piper stepped back when Cyclonis stepped into her cage, staff at hand. "I brought you here for a reason," Cyclonis' voice had a strange dark undertone. Piper backed up until her back hit the bars of her cage, "what would that be?" The Storm Hawk slid to the ground when the other crystal user reached for her head. Piper quickly tried to grab Cyclonis' staff, but her entire body froze when a purple glow surrounded her, the staff's crystal shinning like a purple sun. Cyclonis stepped back and kneeled down, getting at Pipers eyes level. The ruler's eyes went up and down Piper's body, looking for something before one of her cold hands grabbed Piper's chin and forcefully made her turn her head from side to side. "Why are you so scared? Are you hurt?" The question made Piper's mind go blank, why did she care?, "no..." Cyclonis let out a long sigh, Piper was going to be more trouble than she was worth. Goosebumps formed all over Piper's body when Cyclonis' warm breath touched her skin, confusing the girl even more. "W-what do you want from me?" Piper asked, she desperately wanted Cyclonis to move away when she realized their noses were almost touching. "The only reason why your team keeps you, your knowledge of crystals," Cyclonis pulled her arm away from Piper and stood up without releasing Piper from the invisible hold until she was out and locked the cage.

"You can either do what your _best friend _is asking of you or your enemy can test the latest crystal on you," The master of the Terra said without looking at her captive, "decide by tomorrow, _friend._"

"Friends don't leave friends in cages!" Piper decided it was it might be a good idea to play along, "my best friend would never let me sleep like this, right Lark?" Cyclonis stopped and looked over her shoulder, "you're right." For some reason that answer send chills down Pipers body, "I-I am?"

"But of course, I will send Ravess to prepare you…think of it as making more friends." With that, the queen disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind Piper with her thoughts.

'_How…how did I get here!?'_ the Storm Hawk was answered with the memory of her leaving behind her friends to gather a few crystals laying around the area they had landed, only to be ambushed by Dark Ace and his goons. It didn't make sense, why would they capture her alone instead of the rest? Was Cyclonis looking for revenge against Piper for rendering her Oblivion Crystal useless? The young female didn't know and didn't want to find out, all she cared about was escaping.

~X~

Piper did not know just how long she sat in her cage, there was no sense of times because there were no clocks or windows, just silent darkness. Piper was leaning her back against the cage and hugging her knees to her chest when she suddenly heard the faint sound of a violin. "Ravess…" Piper released her legs and turned around, still on her knees, when the doors of the inner chamber opened, revealing the woman with the odd colored hair and a grunt playing the violin. "What do we have here?" Ravess smirked, the violin player played a sour note, emphasizing that Piper had interrupted the woman's good mood, and started playing Ravess personal theme song. "Looks like the brat got Dark Ace to get her a pet, or a slave, I don't know what goes on in her little mind," Ravess reached into her pocket and took out a key, "and she put me in charge of preparing you for who knows what." Piper, taken back by the words Ravess used to describe her leader, glared at the woman as she walked around her cage to the entrance. "Maybe I should test how much pain you can withstand without passing out, Cyclonis does have a knack of torturing those under her control," Ravess unlocked the door and took out a pair of hand cuffs, "but that would mean I'd have to ruin my clothes."

Once Ravess reached for Piper's arm to cuff it, the Storm Hawk grabbed her arms and pulled her to the ground. When Ravess fell on the ground, Piper jumped over her body and ran to the outside. Ravess, surprised at the sudden attack took a few seconds to react with gritted teeth, but the sound of the cage lock locking made her face go blank. The violin player put his arms in front of him, but Piper didn't even bother to do anything to him, she instead sprinted towards the door. "What are you doing!?" The general yelled at the grunt, "get me out or go after her!" The startled male scrambled to turn the key to the cage, Piper had forgotten to take it since she was too concern with getting out of Cyclonis' domain. Once Ravess heard the 'click' she pushed the cage door and the man aside before dashing towards the prisoner.

Just as Piper was about to open the entrance, the doors burst open, revealing Cyclonis herself and her staff. The Storm Hawk hesitated for a second, but tried to run past her, only to be stopped by the same invisible hold and purple glow. "In a hurry?" Cyclonis smirked when she saw the terrified expression on Piper's face, "you should know better than to think it would be that easy to escape." Cyclonis' eyes left Pipers shaking ones and furrowed her brow when she saw Ravess and her grunt, "What are you waiting for? Cuff her!"

"Y-yes, Master Cyclonis," Ravess retreated the cuffs that had fallen on the floor when Piper had pulled her down and cuffed her. "You are very lucky we have a guest tonight…" Cyclonis glanced at Piper, "or else I would have had to punish you for your failure." The older woman bowed her head before getting a grip on Piper's shoulder that was strong enough to make the crystal mage flinch. The other crystal mage released Piper and ordered Ravess to continue with her mission.

"You won't get away this this!" Piper spat as she finally came down from the adrenaline rush and realized her situation, "the others will come for me!" Cyclonis ignored her and walked into the darkness again.

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A/N: Short chapter, but it's just to test the water. Unlike my other story i will require a certain number of reviews, at least 3, until i update. It's not to enlarge my ego, i just want to make sure people are reading. I understand if i don't get 3 reviews since this show doesn't have that big of a fanbase.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews, glad there are people still interested on Storm Hawks. My chapters are usually 2-4k words, but for the sake of not updating one chapter every month and a half, some chapters will be 1-2k words (like this one). I am in school so updates will be at random, but I do try to give myself a 2-4 week deadline. Sorry about the update yesterday, I did post it but the first half wasn't edited so I took it down.

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Piper was practically dragged throughout and the massive structure and into the talons' station. The Storm Hawk wasn't surprised at how clean and orderly the barracks were since Ravess was a perfectionist, but the reality that she was literally surrounded by the enemy made her chew on her lower lip. "W-where are you taking me?" Piper asked the woman next to her when she went deeper into the building. "The brat wants you cleaned up and out of those rages," Ravess answered without looking at Piper, her eyes were too focused on finding some kind of stain or mess in her perfect domain.

Once they entered the female talons' quarters, Ravess lead Piper into the locker rooms. "Watch it!" Piper yelled when Ravess' nails dug into her skin. "You are in no place to give me orders," Ravess roughly grabbed Piper's cuffed hands and lead her to the showers before opening a stall. Ravess pushed Piper into the stall, making sure she fell flat on her face before stepping in. Piper struggled to get up, but the woman made sure she couldn't by placing her left foot on her back, "let me go, you're hurting me!" Piper tried to squirm her way from Ravess' foot, but without her hands she couldn't do much but tire herself out. "It's no use," Ravess quickly removed the cuff on Piper's right hand and put cuffed the pipe leading to the shower head. As Piper tried to pull away, Ravess turn the faucet until ice cold water slowly started coming out of the shower head, but not enough for her to get wet. The older female backed away and rolled up her sleeve before turning the water on full blast. The older woman let out a sigh of frustration when her sleeve was hit by the water despite her precautions. "This wasn't such a good idea," Ravess told herself before leaving the stall and closing it's door.

The sudden sensation of the liquid made Piper flinch and the shock of just how helpless she really was made her want to cry. Slowly, the blue haired girl got up with help from the pipe that kept her in the stall, "where are you guys?" Piper felt her hope dwindle, but she new it was because she felt so helpless at the moment. Gulping down the insecurities, Piper lowered her head, slumped her shoulders, and let the cold water hit her aching muscles she didn't knew were hurting until now.

~X~

"Turn off the water!" Ravess slammed her fist against the door. Piper followed the woman's order, she didn't feel like fighting anymore, it took too much energy, and turned off the running water. The door slammed open and a thick crimson towel was thrown at her head, it nearly through Piper off her feet but her back just hit the walls. "Dry yourself off," Ravess ordered the girl before slamming the door again.

"What am I suppose to wear?" Piper asked as she removed the towel from her head. Ravess didn't answer, instead Piper was responded by a pair of pants, shirt, and underwear on a hanger placed over the stall's door. "I can't change with on of my arms cuffed to a pipe," Piper got ready to try and escape again, maybe she could if her arms were restricted. Ravess nearly tore the door off it's hinges when she entered the stall, followed by two female talons with crystal tipped staffs. The blue haired girl gulped when the talons pointed the crimson crystals towards her, she was too scared to actually see what type of crystals they were, she didn't even notice Ravess free her arm from the pipe. "Glad to see you now know your place, filth!"

Once Piper was dressed in the standard talon uniform, without the goggles, she stepped out and was cuffed immediately, though she didn't try to get away since the crystals were still pointed at her. "Put this on," Ravess said before shoving a pair of brown red boots at the Storm Hawks' chest. "You wouldn't happen to have a pair sucks?" Piper joked, she really needed to break the dread looming over her, but it seemed to only aggravate the cyclonian even more. "Let's go, her royal highness doesn't like to be kept waiting!" Ravess started walking, followed by Piper, who was being jabbed by the two talons and their staffs.

As they walked throughout the building again, the blue haired girl made sure to remember which entrances were being used the most and if they lead to the outside or other rooms. Not once since she had woken up in the palace did she see a window or the outside, Cyclonis clearly didn't want anyone in or out unless they were cleared. _'Escaping is going to be hard, but maybe the other's can sneak in,' _Piper thought once she walked passed the same guard for the third time again, _'they're trying to get me confused…it's working…'_

Once the crystal mage got tired of looking at the same things over and over again, she lowered her tired eyes and watched Ravess' and her own feet move. "This place…it's sucking every positive emotion I have," Piper muttered to herself, which earned her a jab to her back from one of the talons.

* * *

"Alright, we're here," Ravess stopped walked and turned to the Storm Hawk before taking out a key from her pocket, "the brat is inside, waiting for you." Piper's staring contest between the ground and herself was finally won when Piper forced herself to look up. A large grey door was in front of them with the Cyclonian symbol, it appeared purple with the odd crystals lighting the hall way, "where-where am I…?"

"You are in the bowels of the Cyclonian fortress, unreachable by those who don't know their way around the maze of tunnels," Ravess smirked when she removed the cuffs from Piper's hands, "escape is nearly impossible." Piper bit her lower lip, _'Lark must really want to keep me in here,'_ instead of trying to run away, Piper stood firmly planted on the ground since she saw more than a dozen guard on her way over here, not to mention this was the Cyclonian nerve center.

Once Ravess saw hope leave Piper's eyes she started walking back the way she came, "if you can, rough her up a bit, if anyone deserves it it's her."

The talons followed their general until they disappeared, leaving the Storm Hawk alone in the eerie purple light created by crystals on the walls. "Pull yourself together," Piper tried to reassure herself, "you've been through worse, this isn't the only time when you've had to take care of yourself." Piper let out a sigh before taking in a deep breath and putting her hands on the door. Without actually having to push, Piper stepped back when the doors opened themselves, revealing a purple glow in the distance among darkness. "I see my guest has finally arrived," the tyrant's voice echoed throughout the darkness. Piper gulped and cautiously made her way to the light, she couldn't see the walls so she wasn't sure what was about to happen.

Once Piper reached the light source she saw a long table with a chair at each end and Cyclonis in one of them. The table had all sorts of food on it and four poles with the same crystals that lit the hallways at each side of the table. "W-what is all of this?"

"Take a seat, _best friend_," Cyclonis said without a single emotion on her face or voice, _"_I thought you might be hungry so I had my chefs make you something." With trembling fingers, Piper pull the chair closes to her and sat down. Cyclonis was about to say something when she noticed Piper's eyes were scanning the darkness for any danger, "scared of the dark?" The tyrant smirked and snapped her fingers, the room was suddenly filled with light. Piper's eyes grew wide when she saw more talons than she could count around the table and on the wall, "I must apologize, but one can never be too sure," sarcastic words rang throughout Piper's head. "Why am I here!?" Piper finally snapped, she had had enough of everything, "what's with all of this!?" The talons raised their crystal weapons towards her, but lowered it when Cyclonis raised her arm, "leave us alone!" The soldiers saluted their ruler before leaving through the many doors to the room. Cyclonis got up from her chair, "I told you before," another smirked formed on her thin lips, "I just want to spend time with my best friend."

"Stop saying that!" Piper got up too but she slammed her hands on the table, "just through me in a cell or do whatever you want! Just stop playing games with me!"

"Very well then…" Cyclonis avoided eye contact with Piper when she started debating on what to do with her, she just wanted the Storm Hawk to weaken the rest of the group and force her to create crystals for the Cyclonian empire, but that would be impossible since the girl was stubborn. As of right now, Piper was just something shiny Cyclonis had obtained, but didn't know what to do with it. There was also the odd feeling Cyclonis got whenever the subject of the crystal mage came up, it was a choking sensation that made her want to deal with her alone, the master of the tera even went out of her way to fight the girl one on one. "If you want to be in a cage so much, you can spend the rest of the night on one!."

"Fine-" Piper felt a sudden stinging sensation on her neck, Cyclonis' form became blurry and the world started spinning. Before Piper's legs gave out, her body was lifted off the ground by the same purple glow and was gentle laid on the ground. "Take her back to the inner chamber, make sure nothing happens to her," Piper heard Cyclonis order someone before she blacked out.

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A/N: Sorry that nothing really happened on this chapter, but I am still trying to plot the story out. Things should start moving in the next chapter or two.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the very late update, but the last two months of the year are very chaotic for me. This chapter is a little shaky since i was in a rush, sorry in advance. Still in the process of making the plot for this one.

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When Piper finally opened her eyes again the first thing she noticed was Cyclonis' odd colored eyes staring at her. "Wah!" Piper tried to back up but her back hit the bars of the cage, "what are you doing!?" Cyclonis' seemed to be thinking about something since it took her a few moments to reply back, "you're awake…"

"How-how long have you been staring at me like that!?" Piper tried to stand up, but froze when she saw her enemies staff crystal glow. "A few minutes, you've been sleeping for about a day, I had almost forgotten about you." Cyclonis turned her back to the Storm Hawk and started pacing back and forth, "hmmm…what to do with you." The master stopped and crossed her arms, "maybe I can make you into a janitor or…make you carry heavy objects, I certainly can't have you anywhere near crystals or machines, you might try to escape." Piper tried not to seem scared as the other crystal mage started getting darker with her ideas, "has…had anyone come for me?"

"No, it's been quiet peaceful taking over the other terras since you've been held here," Cyclonis smirked, "no one has even lifted a finger to come and get you." Piper looked down, her started to water and a lump appeared on the back of her throat, _'where are you guys?'_

"There's no need to worry!" Cyclonis said sarcastically, she even spread her arms for dramatic effect, "if they try to rescue you, that little cage won't be so empty." Piper turned her head away from the tyrant, she couldn't let Cyclonis see her about to break down. "You're a quiet an interesting person," Cyclonis walked to the cage, "you try to act tough but break down a few minutes later…how pathetic."

Piper, distracted by the tears blurring her vision, hadn't noticed the tyrant had gotten closer and reached for her until she felt the cold pale fingers on her cheek. "Tell me…" Cyclonis lowered her hand, stroking Piper's soft skin with her fingers tips, and cupped the prisoner's chin, "how much do you hate them right now?"

"I-I don't!" Piper pushed back the tears and slapped away the enemy's hand away, "they are my friends, I can never hate them, even if they don't come for me!" The Shocked ruler stayed still, analyzing Piper's words before making her next move. The tyrant suddenly grabbed Piper's hair with her other hand and pulled it down, making sure Piper was looking at her, and gripped Piper's jaw with the other, "let's just hope you can keep telling yourself that because they won't come, and if they do they will meet their demise!" Piper's eyes start to shake and she tried to move her head, but Cyclonis' hold was stronger that she thought. Just as her eyes searched everywhere for anything, she noticed the Cyclonis' had leaned her crystal staff against the cage. Piper quickly grabbed it and pushed the tip against Cyclonis' chest.

A purple blast sent the latest Cyclonian through the air until she hit a wall and let out a grunt. Piper, shocked at how powerful the blast was, nearly fell back from the force but was able to stay standing since most of the force went to Cyclonis. Piper blasted the cage open before she turned to the entrance, ready to run, when they doors opened and revealed Dark Ace. The male was about to speak when he saw Piper holding his master's staff and his master leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. "What have you done!" Dark Ace drew his energy blade and ran towards Piper, letting out a roar in the process. Piper raised the staff towards Dark Ace, but she really had no experience battling someone like Dark Ace with a close range weapon, "get back of else you'll get the same!"

"I don't think you know how to use a crystal like that!" Dark Ace activated his blade, increasing it's length with red energy before jumping up and pulling his arms and sword towards his back. Dark Ace brought down his sword as he came down to a large arc aimed at Piper's head, but the Storm Hawk jumped to the side. The leader of the Talons' blade pierced the ground to half the blades' length, causing it to get stuck and making the male try to pull it out.

Piper quickly jabbed Dark Ace's side with the staff, releasing a large blast of purple energy that sent the male to the ground. Piper held the staff with one hand and tried to grab the energy blade, but before show could put her hand around the handle she felt a thin hand on her shoulder. The Storm Hawk looked over her shoulder and was met with purple eyes. Before she could do anything Cyclonis took her staff and smirked, "you should never let your enemies out of your sight!" The gothic girl punched Piper on her stomach with more force than her body suggested, making the Storm Hawk fall to her knees and grab the injured area. "What did you think you were going to do?" Cyclonis wrapped her free hand around Piper's neck, "use my staff to escape?" Out of pure instinct Piper tried to free Cyclonis' grip around her neck, but the strength she need failed to show. "It may be strong enough to take an elite like Dark Ace, but you do not know how to use it properly enough to take on more than a single foe," the purple aura Piper knew to well surrounded her body, "why bother trying to escape when all you will receive is pain!?" Piper was sent flying to the air until she crashed into a wall covered in darkness.

"M-master Cyclonis…" Dark Ace slowly got up, rubbing his arm and head, "I'm sorry I failed…" The man kneeled down and expected some form of punishment, but it never came. "Get your blade and leave, Dark Ace, I want to be left alone with our prisoner!" Cyclonis picked up Piper again with her telekinetic powers and sent her to the other side of the room. "As you wish, Master Cyclonis."

~X~

Once Cyclonis' underling left them alone the tyrant kneeled down and examined the girl she had thrown like a rag doll. "You know…" the master took out a piece of purple cloth from her person and wiped some blood coming out of Piper's mouth, "I don't like to hurt you." Cyclonis waited for some kind of answer, but realized she might have used too much force on the girl, leaving her disorientated and barely awake. "You pretty little head holds the second most brilliant mind of all the Terras, it's almost a shame how it is wasted on some rebel." Cyclonis examined her words and all of the emotions were drained from her face, "pretty little head…yes, what a waste."

"A-Arrow…" Piper managed to say, reaching towards the only other person in the room, "w-where are you…" The Storm Hawk's hand fell and landed on Cyclonis' lap. "It's almost sad to think that if they even try to come for you, they will meet their demise," Cyclonis' gentle pushed Piper's hand away from her body and stood up, "your injuries shouldn't be to severe, you've even stopped bleeding," she looked at Piper's lips and felt no joy or satisfaction. "I suggest you rest for now and think about your actions," Cyclonis let out a scoff and disappeared into her fortress.

* * *

"_pretty little head…" _Cyclonis cringed when she relieved the last interaction between Piper and herself as she slept in her bed. _"A-Arrow…" _The ruler furrowed her brow, for some reason being mistaken for the red head infuriated her to no end. Arrow was the only other person running in Piper's mind, Cyclonis knew it was because they were friend and he was her leader, yet she found it odd someone would put so much hope on someone else. The next image that came to the sleeping tyrant's mind was the hope in Piper's eyes drain, the light behind those eyes she found so unique dwindled every time the dark skin girl tried to escape or received some kind of punishment. Cyclonis, known for being a sadistic ruler and gaining pleasure for hurting those under her, actually meant that she didn't like hurting the girl. She thought it was purely out of respect for a fellow crystal mage, but she didn't respect anyone but the ruler before her.

Cyclonis suddenly sat up on her bed and snapped her eyes open, the thoughts concerning the Storm Hawk overloaded her senses in her sleep to the point where her brain needed release. She sat there for a few moments, staring into the abyss until a thought ran across her mind. Instead of trying to fall back to sleep, Cyclonis got out of bed and grabbed her staff and cloak before leaving her room towards the infirmary, she didn't even bother to use her eyeliner or color her nails. The cloak covered her entire body and the hood attached covered most of her face, which Cyclonis was thankful for since she would seem odd without her makeup.

~X~

"M-master Cyclonis!" the lead doctor dropped his clipboard and kneeled down. "Come with me, there's someone I need you to see!" Cyclonis tried to sound like her usual self, successfully hiding the worry behind her words. "A-as you wish!" the man quickly left to pick up his medical bag full on equipment and followed the girl.

When they reached the inner chambers of the fortress they found the prisoner laying on the ground in the same position Cyclonis had left her on. "I am afraid I used too much for on her," Cyclonis made sure to sound sarcastic, "I want you to move her to the closes guest room to my own and make sure whatever injuries heal."

"T-to a room c-c-lose to yours?" the doctor hadn't been near those rooms since the former ruler had perished, before the new one had closed every single room and quarter in the inner chambers, "sh-she is a prisoner…why not put her with the others?"

"No, she is the key to the rebels demise, the deeper she is into the capital the harder the rebels will try to get her, if they even attempt to penetrate the inner chambers they will be meet with the master herself."

"B-but Ma-"

"Are you doubting my powers!?" Cyclonis' grip on her staff tightened. "No!" the man lowered his head and kneeled down again, "I am sorry for my words!" "Just make sure she is okay, there's no reason to safe the dead!"


	4. Chapter 4

Piper's eyes fluttered open once she finally came back to the physical world. The first thing she noticed was that she was resting on something stiff, but a lot softer than a cage or floor. Once her blurred vision started to clear she noticed there was an old and dust covered fabric above whatever she was laying on, on the middle on the fabric was a purple crystal used for lighting. Wherever Piper was on she guessed it hadn't been opened or used for sometime since she could see dust particles in the air when they hit the crystal's light. The Storm Hawk tried to move her head but her muscles wouldn't let her, panic flooded the girl's mind when she thought she was still being tossed by Cyclonis, but let out a sigh of relief when she didn't see a purple aura around her body. The memories of the previous encounter with the other crystal mage left a bitter taste of the dark skinned girl's mouth, why did she even take the girl's staff? It wasn't like she had a plan or something. Piper let out a sigh when she realized she had to get her flight or fight mode under control, she couldn't and didn't want to be punished for being stupid.

After staring at the crystal for what seemed like a long time Piper let out a sigh and attempted to sit up. Joy, something she hadn't felt in a while filled her body when she was able to see where she was. To her surprised she was in a normal, but really dusty, room. The bed she was on was probably a king size mattress with old silk covers, there was a old dark wood mantle and dresser, and a small table with a wooden box on the middle of it. "W-where am I?" Piper swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand up, but quickly sat down again when the blood rushed to her head, "ouch…"

Piper stood up once the pain in her head dulled and wondered around the room, looking into every drawer and place where something would be. There was really nothing to see, any drawer in the mantle and dresser were empty, there was no hidden compartment or anything under the bed, and the wooden box on the table was an old game board and piece that hadn't been used in ages. Piper tried to open what she thought was the main door but it was locked, so she tried the other near the bed. Lucky for her she managed to get in, but it was just a dusty bathroom. White porcelain and reflective surfaced were covered in thin a thin layer of dust, what used to be liquid was now gone or dried into a tiny puddle of color, and the faucets no longer released water, they only manage to make the pipes shriek or air come out.

"This is depressing!" Piper walked over to the mirror and wiped the layer of dust from the surface until she got a good look at herself. She was still wearing the same Talon uniform, but Piper didn't noticed that when she saw her hair. It was down and messy compared to it's usual state, the back part almost reached her shoulders. "I really need to get out of here…" Piper tried to pull her hair back, but it fell once she removed her hands.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, girly," a male voice said from the entrance to the bathroom. Piper turned around and jumped back from the sudden sound, scattering dust everywhere. The medic that brought her to the room the night before started coughing once the dust hit his face, "stop moving!" Piper stepped back until her back his the sink, "who are you and where am I?"

"You're in the inner chambers of the Cyclonian Fortress, a few minutes away from the Master herself."

Piper looked at the man carefully, from hear to feet, and didn't really feel any danger from him. He was older than most Talons but was wearing the same uniform with a red bandana over his right bisep with a white cross on it, he wasn't carrying any type of crystal or weapon, and his stance suggested he wasn't any kind of fighter. "I am not here to harm you, the opposite actually, so I need you to come out of the bathroom and sit down."

"Why?" Piper slowly walked out of the bathroom. "Master Cyclonis was worried about your…little skirmish last night," the medic put his bag on the bed and started searching for something. "So it was real…" Piper's eyes looked at the ground, the Strom Hawk thought it was all just some nightmare, "Arrow…"

Piper bit her lower lip and sat down on the bed, "we did she moved me here? Not the room, but outside the cage."

"I honestly do not know," the man said as he took out a bottle of alcohol, cotton balls, and some rubber gloves, "but you must be important since she came for me herself in dead of night."

"I'm just some caged animal," Piper didn't noticed the doctor had pulled up her sleeve and put some alcohol on a cotton ball. "The Master doesn't really show her true intentions or emotions since the previous Cyclonian ruler passed away," the man carefully looked at every inch of Piper's arm until he found some scraps and cuts, "I'd hate to be you since you seem to be on her mind all the time." The Storm Hawk flinched from the sudden stinging sensation on her arm, "I don't even remember getting cuts."

"More like scratches, your uniform protected you from any real skin break, you also received a few bruises."

"Figures…" Piper looked down at her exposed arm and saw a deep purple bruise from her elbow to the middle of her forearm. "You also received a pretty hard hit on the head, but not enough to cause a concosion or brain injury," the medic said as he switched arms, "I guess you had a horrible headache when you woke up."

"You have no idea," Piper smiled at the man, he was the first friendly person she had encountered since she left the Storm Hawk ship to pick up nearly worthless crystals, something she realized since she woke up on the Cyclonian Terra. "Why are you so nice?" Piper asked when the medic finally stopped rubbing alcohol on her arms. "I am a doctor, it is my job to help the injured, even if they are on the other side as long as they don't try to kill me," the man threw away the cotton ball, now pink with blood and alcohol, on a dusty trashcan near the bed and put away his gloves, "I suggest you stop getting on Master Cyclonis' bad side."

The Storm Hawk couldn't help but roll her eyes, "all she has is a bad side."

"That maybe true, but at least she doesn't throw you like a rag doll when you don't try to run," the medic smiled before slowly taking out a crimson rag and brown glass bottle. "I always wondered how someone can become so…evil," Piper bit her lower lip when the medic started pouring some clear liquid on the rag. "I maybe helping you, but I also serve Master Cyclonis…"

Piper's eyes grew wide the medic suddenly covered her mouth and nose with the wet cloth. "w-wha…" the Storm Hawk fell back on the feel unconscious spreading dust everywhere.

"Is she taken care of!?" Dark Ace slammed the door open. "Yes," the medic said as he threw away the cloth and put away the bottle, "there's enough dust in this room to bury someone six feet deep." Dark Ace's dark eyes turned to the passed out female, "Master Cyclonis also wants her clean, who knows what diseases she has."

"Yes…well…that is a job for someone else," the elder man watched as Ravess entered the room too. "Lucky me…" Ravess scuffed. "Enough!" Dark Ace glared at the others, "do as you are told, we don't have time to waste!"

* * *

The sound of people talking and an roaring engine filled Piper's ears, slowly bringing her into the world. With heavy eyelids, Piper was barely able to open her eyes half way since her body was still under the effect of whatever the medic has used to knock her out. "W-where am I?" Piper tried to move but her arms and legs were restrained. The young girl struggled and fought off the desire to close her eye for a few seconds until she felt cold finger tips of her cheek. "How is you vision?" the medic tilted Piper's head up so he could get a better look. Piper's eyes grew wide when she saw the medic, Ravess, Dark Ace, and Cyclonis in front of her, all of them but Cyclonis and the medic had a smirk on their face. All of them were surrounded by heavy and dark mist. "You're in an airship," Cyclonis signaled the eldest male to move, "you are about to witness as the Cyclonian regime conquers Terra Mesa!"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Sorry again for the late update but I've been depressed and tried to hide it for so long that it finally caught up to me. I'm still not over it so my updates will come even later than usual (I hate it as much as you do), most likely I will post short updates like this so I can finish it, it was meant to be very short anyways.

* * *

Cyclonis waited for the Storm Hawk to say something, but the words in Piper's mouth never came out. A loud crack and flash suddenly caught everyone by surprise, making all of Cyclonis' henchmen cover their ears and shut their eyes tight, Piper tried to do the same but only managed to grit her teeth and close her eyes. Cyclonis simply watched as the white clouds quickly turn grey, waiting for the thunder that came a second after, "too close…Quick, untie her and take her to the inside of the ship!"

"Why not leave her to deal with the lightning?" a dark look appeared in Dark Ace's eyes as he approached Piper.

"We didn't came here to let her die, she is our bargaining chip incase her little friends decide to show up," Cyclonis turned away from the others and made her way to a metal platform and pressed a red button in the railing's control box. "Make sure she stays awake, I want her to see just what happens when someone resists the might of Cyclonia," the tyrant said before the platform lowered and took her to the control room of the ship.

Ravess and the doctor opened the hatch near Piper and made their way into the ship while Dark Ace was left with the Sky Knight.

"Aren't you doing to let me go!? Lark ordered you to!" the crystal mage managed to say when she heard thunder slowly build up around them. Piper's right side of her face was suddenly struck with a searing pain, her eyes barely registered what happened. The Sky Knight's head slumped towards the right and her eyes desperately tried to focus.

"Never address Master Cyclonis as if you two where friends!" the general pulled his fist away from the girl, the force he used even managed to hurt his own hand. Piper didn't respond, her mind was too busy trying to piece together what happened. "Dazed? I didn't even hit you that hard," Dark Ace scuffed as he walked around the lighting rod and untied the crystal mage. Once the rope holding her back was released, Piper her the ground but managed to land on her hands and knees.

Dark Ace was about to force Piper to stand up when he hear the sound of engines getting closer. Before he could determine where the sound was coming from a skimmer flow by him. "They found us already!?" Dark Ace roughly grabbed on Piper's right arm and pushed her towards the hatch, "you're friends are better have a death wis-" Dark Ace suddenly pushed Piper away from the hatch before taking out his energy blade. Two red energy blasts nearly hit the male, but he managed to block them with his own energy weapon. The sound of more engines around them made Piper's ears perk, "t-they aren't Sky Knights…" The tan girl slowly got on one knee, but was thrown back to the ground by the force of an energy blast hitting the metal ship. Dark Ace was about to open the hatch when a blast from behind and in front of him forced him to barrel roll towards the storm hawk. The general looked back, the door and steps used to get down where destroyed or melted, "damn it! She won't make the fall in her condition without breaking something!" Dark Ace turned to Piper and saw she was already in the platform Cyclonis used.

Piper pressed the button countless times as she leaned herself against the railing, her ember eyes scanned the air around her, waiting for the next attack, but it never came. "They where just scouts…" Dark Ace seethed his weapon on his back when the sound of engines started to die off. "Who was that!?" Piper said as she kept on pressing the button. "Enough!" Dark Ace pushed Piper away from the control box, "I see all it took to wake you up was a fight." Piper looked down, "who where they? Why are you guys here? I thought Cyclonia had already taken over Terra Mesa." Dark Ace thought for a second before replying, "the damn lizards have turned against Cyclonis and have made Mesa theirs." The platform started moving down, bringing both the Stormhawk and Cyclonian relief.

~X~

The first thing that caught Piper's attention when she descended into the room was Cyclonis, the tyrant was sitting in a throne like chair with spikes coming out from behind and controls in the arm rests. She was surrounded by soldiers sitting in front of screens and controls, making sure the ship was running at its full capacity, "I see they gave you a warm welcome," violet eyes meet ember ones. Dark Ace kneeled before his master, "they have damaged the hatch above, Master Cyclonis, I suggest we get it fixed soon before it starts raining."

"Very well-" Cyclonis was interrupted when she ship violently shook, making everyone hold on to something to support. "Master Cyclonis, the right side of the ship has been damaged by a large explosion!" one of the talons said when the shaking stopped. "We have control, but we are slowly descending!" another one said before the speaker was turned on, "Lizards everywhere! They're putting what seems to be explosives around the engine ro-" the voice was cut off, leaving only static. "It seems the enemy are nothing but cowards!" Cyclonis stood up and pulled a microphone hanging above her. Cyclonis pressed to button on it's side and put it near her mouth, "This is Master Cyclonis, I must applaud your bravery, standing against my empire with the only way your species knows how to fight. But your actions are in vain, even if you can bring down my ship you still have to deal with my men and myself. I plan on leaving this land with enough boots for my entire army…" the crystal mage released the button and let go of the microphone. Piper couldn't help but admire at how confident and arrogant than young tyrant sounded and look, even when she was being forced to land on hostile territory. "Gather all of the talons who haven't been killed or captured, it's time to crush those who dare to think they can get the upper hand over a Cyclonian!" Cyclonis pulled out her crystal staff and smirked.


End file.
